(Sept)ember

I got my septum pierced. (Wasn’t that fun? Do you see what I did there?)

Woahhhh what’s that. On my face. What happened?

Yep, I got a Septum piercing. And I absolutely love it.

Some of you may love it too (we’ll high five later) and some of you are gonna hate it. Like, be offended by the fact that it’s on my face and wonder why in a million years I would do this to myself. And that’s okay.

I might not agree with your choice of hairstyle, or your fashion sense, or why you insist on wearing *that* ratty hoodie or *those* ridiculous jeans. And that’s also fine.

It’s also totally okay if you feel the need to tell me how much you hate it – it’s kind of rude (I have never told you how much I hate your jeans) – but it’s okay, I can take it.

I knew that not everybody would love it. I knew that people would make judgements of me before I even opened my mouth because of it (which is totally okay as well, but I will absolutely judge you for your judgment of me, ha) and I also knew that some people would think that it looks great, and totally understand the whole vibe I’ve got going on. And then some people (most people?) will just not care. Those are my favourite types of people.

I’m also aware that I’m being a massive drama queen. It’s just a piercing right? Some people will like it, some people won’t, and does it really matter in the grand scheme, etc etc.

I guess, for me, it’s not just a piercing. I have always, always felt like I need to get piercings (I have loads, some more visible than others) in order to feel more like myself. Just as some people cover their bodies in tattoos just to feel comfortable in their own skin, getting piercings has always been a way of me taking control of my own body – sort of comforting myself by proving that I can choose to do what I want with my body because it is mine – and also a way of expressing myself (which was very important to my fourteen year old self, because when I was fourteen I honestly didn’t know what I was doing and I felt lost most of the time)*.

I guess it’s also my own kinda twisted way of sticking my middle finger up at the world. In the most demure, middle class way possible, obviously. #wildatheart #livingontheedge.

Ironic hashtags aside, I guess that part of what this piercing says is that I don’t care about what other people think. Or, I should clarify, I really care about what some people think, and I don’t give a flying f**k about what everyone else thinks. There will be guys at the bar where I work who will get drunk and tell me that ‘pretty girls shouldn’t get weird piercings’, or ‘I hate your nose ring’, and I certainly didn’t get this piercing in order to invite their attention (especially because they have a cute habit of vomiting on me during these drunken conversations), but in getting it I have confirmed the fact that I don’t care about or desire their approval (or anybody else’s), and I don’t need anybody to tell me I’m pretty in order to know that I am.

I guess what I’m saying is that I didn’t do this in a rebellious fit of teenage angst, I didn’t do it for attention, I didn’t do it for fun (okay it was kinda fun, but it was mostly incredibly painful), and I definitely didn’t do it to annoy my parents (something I may have been guilty of doing in the past, shhhh). I did it because it makes me feel pretty, it makes me feel like myself, and most importantly it makes me feel like a warrior princess. I have wanted this for so long, and I am so in love with it.

Oh, and of course I did my research and I can totally hide it for job interviews, internships and visits to my Nan**. I’m not an idiot 😉

I (really) hope you love it, and if you don’t that’s totally okay. (But if you feel the need to share your distaste, I hope you’re ready for the uncomfortable truth about your hideous jeans).

PV x

*Ha Ha who am I kidding I still feel like that

**Having said that, my Nan will probably love it…

(my gorgeous friend Niz getting in on my septum-selfie game)

The day I got it pierced! I went back to Cold Steel in Camden (the only place I ever get piercings nowadays!) and they were great. I was so scared before I got it done (which is quite unusual for me) and afterwards I was in so much pain so Chelsey took me for Sushi in the city ❤ I had to wear this paperclip shaped retainer for five weeks (And I can still wear it when I want to tuck the piercing away), and I’m so, so happy that I can now swap it out for a pretty ring.